Saturday, 25 July 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy has picked the Prometheus project for a Phase II award worth $60 million spread across three years, according to Neutron Bytes. It is the first Phase II award under the DOE's Genesis Mission.

Thirty-two organizations back the effort, among them Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories, alongside academic groups and more than 20 industry partners such as X-energy, TerraPower, and Oklo, Neutron Bytes reported.

Beyond the federal award, backers have committed more than $200 million in industry cost share and $30 million in industry capital toward the work, according to Neutron Bytes.

The project applies AI across reactor design, licensing, manufacturing, construction, and operation, with people kept in the decision loop, Neutron Bytes reported. It also folds AI into nuclear fuel fabrication and into managing legacy nuclear documents.

"Prometheus combines nuclear science and artificial intelligence," said Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner.

The European Commission presented its High-Speed Rail Plan in November 2025, aiming to accelerate the development of high-speed rail across the European Union, according to CleanTechnica.

A position paper on the plan states that the EU Parliament can enhance the ambition of the plan's implementation, but that some additional risks in it need to be addressed, according to CleanTechnica.

Vitol will divest its U.S. upstream arm, VTX Energy Partners, to Verde Operating Company of Houston in a deal whose value was not disclosed, World Oil reported, citing the two companies.

Output from VTX runs at roughly 60,000 boed, drawn from acreage across Reeves and Pecos counties in Texas, according to World Oil. Vitol set up the producer in 2022 alongside the former ATX Energy management team, with Gene Shepherd and Erik Hoover at the helm, World Oil said.

To fund the purchase, Verde is drawing equity commitments from funds run by Carnelian Energy Capital Management and EnCap Investments, according to World Oil. Chief Capital, HF Capital, Formentera Partners, company management and other co-investors are also putting money in.

"VTX's success demonstrates what a committed and expert team can deliver," said Ben Marshall, head of Americas at Vitol, according to World Oil.

World Oil reported that the deal still hinges on customary closing conditions.

Average gasoline in Michigan climbed about 32 percent over three weeks, moving from $2.99 to $3.95 a gallon, according to Grist, which linked the rise to fighting with Iran that began in late February. In response, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a formal energy emergency that cleared southeast Michigan retailers to sell lower-cost summer-blend fuel, pointing to the war and to tariffs, Grist reported.

Polling suggests the price pressure carries political weight. A Climate Power survey of 600 likely Michigan voters taken in mid-June found 42 percent less inclined to back a congressional candidate aligned with Trump's energy policies, compared with 21 percent more inclined, according to Grist.

Grist reported that the state saw $4.1 billion in planned clean manufacturing investment and roughly 11,700 jobs fall away in the wake of Trump-era rollbacks, alongside $540 million in climate grants either canceled or delayed.

The Trump administration directed Consumers Energy to keep the J.H. Campbell coal plant running beyond its scheduled retirement, according to Grist. Michigan's attorney general, among other critics, argued that keeping the plant online will cost ratepayers more than moving off it, Grist reported.

Under Michigan's 2023 Clean Energy and Jobs Act, the state must reach 100 percent renewable electricity by 2040, according to Grist. House Republicans have since passed "Project Lighthouse," a package aimed at repealing those clean energy mandates, Grist reported. Its sponsor, state Representative Pauline Wendzel, described the 2023 targets as "arbitrary" and said they benefit large investor-owned utilities rather than ordinary ratepayers.

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a statewide micromobility framework that would classify vehicles by their top speed capability rather than by vehicle type, according to Electrek. The proposal would cover everything from e-bikes and e-scooters to higher-speed electric motorbikes capable of reaching 30 mph, 40 mph, and beyond.

Electrek reports that electric vehicles capable of speeds between 21 mph and 30 mph would be classified as Speed Tier 1. Under that tier, riders could use bike lanes but would be prohibited from sidewalks and shared-use paths.

Faster machines face tighter rules. According to Electrek, Speed Tier 2 covers vehicles capable of up to 40 mph and Speed Tier 3 covers those exceeding 40 mph. Both tiers would be barred from bike lanes, sidewalks, and shared-use trails, and would instead operate alongside other roadway traffic.

The bill would set statewide safety requirements, according to Electrek. It would establish a minimum operating age of 16 for powered devices and make helmets mandatory for riders on vehicles capable of exceeding 20 mph.

Human-powered devices sit at the bottom of the structure. Electrek reports that traditional bicycles and devices such as motor-free kick scooters would fall under Speed Tier 0 and would continue to be allowed on sidewalks.

The fusion industry raised USD 4.48 billion in the 12 months leading to July 2026, a record year, according to the Fusion Industry Association's Global Fusion Industry in 2026 report.

The sector has reported a total of USD 14.24 billion since the FIA's annual survey began in 2021 and now employs more than 16,000 people, according to the report.

The FIA surveyed 56 fusion companies for its sixth report, up from 23 in 2021, with six new entrants since 2025 and three companies withdrawing.

Major funding rounds included Commonwealth Fusion Systems raising USD 863 million in August 2025, Inertia Enterprises raising USD 450 million in February 2026, Helion Energy raising USD 465 million in June 2026, and Proxima Fusion raising USD 518 million in July 2026, according to the FIA.

The report says 71% of fusion companies still expect the first fusion plant to deliver commercial electricity by the 2030s.

The USA remains the center of private fusion investment, with 28 companies in this year's survey and all five billion-dollar-funded businesses based there, according to the FIA.

FIA CEO Andrew Holland said fusion has moved from being defined by national labs and government research and development programs to being dominated by private investment totaling over USD 4 billion in one year.

Gauss Fusion appointed Dr Uwe Bau as CEO, succeeding Milena Roveda, and released its fusion energy industrialization roadmap.

The Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis (GZM) has taken delivery of 73 battery-electric buses paired with 45 charging units, electrive reported.

The order was worth close to PLN 305 million (about EUR 70.5 million). Most of that sum came from Poland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO).

Solaris supplied 42 of the vehicles under an order placed last October, while Irizar delivered 31 ie units. Of the Irizar batch, 16 are articulated 18-metre vehicles and 15 are standard 12-metre buses.

PKM Świerklaniec drew the biggest share at 49 buses and 30 chargers, electrive reported. PKM Katowice received nine buses and five chargers, PKM Sosnowiec eight buses and six chargers, and PKM Gliwice seven buses and four chargers.

After this round, PKM Gliwice runs a fleet of 219 buses, of which 28 are battery-electric and 47 hybrid.

Funding for the three KPO-backed projects topped PLN 257 million (about EUR 59.5 million), covering on average more than 94% of eligible costs.

"Seventy-three new electric buses are a real change that residents will see on the streets," said Leszek Pietraszek, Chairman of the Management Board of GZM.

Tesla posted USD 1.1 billion in negative free cash flow, according to CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica framed the figure against an earlier commitment from Elon Musk. When Tesla brought the Model 3 to mass production and the company reached profitability, Musk said that was the last time Tesla would have to bet its survival on a difficult product launch, according to CleanTechnica.

The reported negative free cash flow prompted CleanTechnica to question whether the company is again wagering its survival.